Apparatus for racking liquids.



-No. 694,668. Patented Mar. 4, 1902.

R. H. SALMONS. APPARATUS FOR BACKING LIQUIDS.

(Application filed Jam 16, 1902.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

N0. 694,668. Patented Mar. 4, I962. R. H. SALMONS.

(Application. filed Jan. 16, 1902.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 a W 3. I

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ROBERT H. SALMONS, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

APPARATUS FOR SRACKING LIQUIDS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 694,668, dated March 4, 1902. Application filed January 16,1902. Serial No. 89,998. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.- l

Be it known that 1, ROBERT H. SALMoNs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Racking Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide means whereby the beer or other liquids to be racked into the keg or package for delivery to the retail dealer may be racked under any desired pressure and alsoto provide means for preventing the accumulation of what is termed overflow or rest beer.

A further object of my invention is to pro vide means whereby there may be secured any desired difference in pressure between the gas in the keg to be filled and the pressure under which the beer or other liquid is forced into such keg. It is oftentimes desirable to vary this difference of pressure and to rac the beer under different pressures.

My invention may be used in connection with a gravity system for filling the kegs or not, as desired.

The accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, are as follows:

Figure 1 is a side View of the apparatus complete. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken along the dotted line a; 'y of Fig. 1 looking from the right, all parts to the right of such dotted line being removed. Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional detail view through the center of one of the valves 12. Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic View showing the connection of the racking apparatus to the chip-cask and pressure-pump.

Similar letters refer to similar parts through out the several views.

Referring to Figs. 1 and2 ofthe drawings, 1" is the pressure-book, provided with a suitable pressure-gage g and suitably connected, as will be explained later, with a source of supply in which there is maintained any desired constant pressure of gas or air which is to be forced into the keg to be filled before the beer is racked into such keg. Connected with and located beneath this pressure-book 0" suitable cut-01f valves 12 are seen and making connection therewith in such a way that the opening of such valves admits the gas or air from the pressure-hock r down through the cut-01f chambers s, and thence through the hose or pipes p, connected to the lower end thereof, and through the coupling-faucets 76 into the kegs 19 through any one of the wellknown bushingssuch, for instance, as that described in the patent to Stahl, No. 600,501, March 8, l898arranged to cooperate with these coupling-faucets k in the manner clearly described in such patent and already so, well known-in the art as to call for no further description. From the beer-hock 1", which is supported, as seen, by suitable bracketst and into which the beer is forced from the chipcask C in the manner yet to be explained, there extend downward a series of connections terminating in suitable cut-off valves 0 and from each of which a hose or pipe pextends downward, terminating at its lower end in the coupling-faucets '0 arranged to cooperate with bushings located at the lowest points in the ends of the kegs b to be filled, such faucets '0 cooperating with their bushings in the manner already described in connection with the coupling-faucets k. The cutoff chambers 8 open at their upper ends into suitable pressure-release valves to of any of thewell-known constructions. Suitable sightchambers s are seen extending upward from this supply-book 1", having faucets c at their upper ends in order that the condition of the liquid in the supply-book may be readily seen. When desired, a suitable faucet cma'y be located also at the upper side of the supply-book r. A suitable valve 1: is seen extending downward from the supplybock 0", arranged, as indicated, to receive connection with a hose or other pipe in order that the supply-book 1" may be washed out each time before it is used in the process of racking. The pressure at which the gas or air confined within the kegs b will be allowed to escape is determined, of course, by the angular adjustment of the face-plates to these pressure-valves 'w, and by means of whichthegas or air in the kegs b may be retained therein at any desired pressure, which may be the same for all the kegs b, or it may be different for each keg b, as desired.

Within each cut-off valve-chamber 5 there is located a float-valve o, the weight of which off chambers s will not lift this valve '0; but any beer that is forced through the hose 1) into these chambers s will serve to lift these valves 22 against their seats at the top of the cutoff chambers s. The details in the construction of the valve-chambers and valves will be more fully understood by reference to Fig. 3, in which a and a constitute the top and bottom castings, which, by means of the rods (t are firmly clamped against the packing-rings a located at the top and bottom of the glass cylinder .9. The float o is formed with a suitable top piece a arranged to cooperate with the valve-seat a at the under side of the top plate a in such a way that as the float v is raised it effectually closes the opening at the upper end of the cut-off chamber, thereby preventing any beer from escaping through the opening in the top piece a of this cut-off chamber.

Refer now to Fig. 4. 0 represents a chipcask, which is connected, as indicated, with the supply-book 1" through the sight-chamber 8 secured to the book 1" and having at its lower end a suitable cut-off valve 1), leading into the two-way coupling-piece 11 to which the pipe leading from the chip-cask is directly connected. This pipe leading to the chip-cask may make connection therewith at any suitable point low enough to draw 0% all the beer that it is customary to withdraw from the chip-cask before recharging, or it may extend upward within the chip-cask to a similar point. The chip-cask C is also provided with a pressure-gage g. S represents diagrammatically the cylinder of a pressure-pump, the piston working in which is connected by means of the piston-rod 'n with the piston in the steamcylinder S. From the pump-cylinder S there extends a pipep leading to the pressure-book r and making connections also, by means of the pipe 19 with the chip-cask C at its upper end. This pipe 19 is connected by means of a short pipe 19 with a suitable diaphragmregulator d the operation of which, by means of the bell-crank lever t and the connectingrod 25 is caused to vary the supply of steam through the valve 11 operated by such mechanism in the supply-pipe p in the well-known manner.

The partsjust above described are intended only as a diagrammatic illustration of any one of the well-known automatic pressureregulating pumps by means of which any desired pressure may be maintained in the pressure-book r, as indiccted by the gage g, and also in the chip-cask C, as indicated by the gage g.

In using my racking apparatus the kegs b are placed in position substantially as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, and connection is made thereto by means of the pipes 19 and p in the manner already described and well known in theart, the coupling-faucets 7c and 12 being turned so as to open the valves in the bushings in the kegs b, in which they are respectively inserted. -The faucets it are then opened, while the faucets *0 remain closed. Then the valves 12 are opened, whereupon the air or gas under pressure in the hock r is forced into the kegs b, filling the same and establishing therein a pressure determined by the adjustment of the releasevalves. Of course just before the filling of any kegs b the corresponding regulators to are set by means of the rotatable disks seen at the front sides thereof to the pressure against which it is desired to rack the beer or other liquid. Then when the kegs b have been filled with the gas or air under pressure the cut-off valves 0 are closed and the coupling-faucets o are opened and at the same time also the cut-0E valves 0 unless they are already open. Then the beer from the book 7" is forced into the kegs I) through the pipes 19 and the connections between such pipes and the kegs 1) until the kegs are filled with beer, and the beer rises throng-lithe pipe 29 into the cut-01f chambers s sufiiciently 'to lift the float-valves 1; against their seats a (see Fig. 3) at the upper end, the chambers .9 containing such valves thus effectually pre venting any further rising of the beer in the pipe 19. Then the coupling-faucets 'u are closed and then removed from the bushings in which they have been inserted, serving also at the same time to close the valves in such bushings. The coupling-faucets k may then be closed and such faucets removed from the bushings, and during such removal, it will of course be understood, the valves in the bushings in which they were inserted are closed in the well-known manner.

By the use of my apparatus I am able to prevent the accumulation of overflow or rest beer, as in the filling of any keg the beer that in the filling of the preceding keg had risen in any pipe 1) and in its cut-0E chamber 5 is securely held therein after the coupling-faucet has been closed and before the removal thereof from the bushing in which it was inserted, because as the coupling-faucet 7c is inserted in the bushing of the keg and then turned so as to open the valve of such bushing and then the coupling-faucet 7c opened the beer that was in the pipe 19 and in this cut-off chamber 8 is forced immediately into the keg b. By the use of my apparatus also I am enabled to rack under any desired pressure by means of apparatus operating independently of the source of supply of the gas or air under pressure.

What I claim' is-- 1. In a system for racking liquids, a chipcask or source of supply for such liquids, a source of gas or air under practically constant pressure connected with such chip-cask, a supply-book for such liquid connected with such chip-cask, a pressure-hock connected to such source of gas or air under pressure, two or more kegs to be filled, pipes leading from the supply-beck to such kegs and containing therein also cut-off valves, pipes leading from such pressure -bock also to the kegs to be ,difierent pressures, and also valve-chambers containing floating check-valves arranged to be closed by such liquid only as it rises in such valve-chamber, such valve-chambers and valves also locatedin such last-named pipes andbetween the cut-elf valves therein and such adjustable and automatically-operating pressure-relief valves. 7

2. In a system for racking liquids, a source of supply for such liquid under pressure, a

source of gas or air under practically constant pressure, a pressure-book connected to such source of gas or air, two or more kegs to be filled, means for connecting such kegs to. be filled to such source of liquid under pressure,v

a pipe leading'from such pressure-book to each of such kegs andcontainingtherein the following elements and in the order named commencing with such pressure-book: a cutoif valve,an adjustable and automaticallyoperating pressure-relief valve, a check-valve arranged to be closed by the liquid as it rises in such pipe, and a cut-off valve located'in such pipe as near as may be at the point where such pipe makes connection with the keg to be filled.

3. In a system for racking liquids, in combination with a keg to be filled and means for supplying liquidthereto under pressure, means for first charging such keg with gas or air under pressure and then forcing the liquid into such keg under pressure greater than that of the gas or air in such keg, thus forcing such air or gas out of such keg and allowing it'to escape into the open air through suitable valve-controlled tubing, means for automatically checking the inflow of liquid to such keg as such liquid rises in such tubing, and means for disconnecting such tubing from such keg and retaining the liquid that has arisen therein under a pressure practi cally the same as that against which the liquid is racked or forced into such keg until such tubing is connected to the next succeeding keg, and means for forcing such liquid contained in'such tube into such next succeeding keg and subjecting the same to the pressure of the gas or air with which such next succeeding keg is charged.

ROBERT H. SALMONS.

Witnesses:

FRANK M. GOFF, E. M. SMITH. 

